Wrestler in the Cave
by goldpiece
Summary: A body is discovered inside a cave in Alabama. Booth and Brennan must balance their relationship and work while trying to solve the case while a misinterpretation causes problems with the FBI. Second in Butterfly Effect Series
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Here we go everyone, the second installment of the Butterfly Effect Series. Though not entirely crucial, you might want to go back and read 'Girl in the Ocean' if you haven't already. This story takes place six months after the above mentioned story with Booth and Brennan now in an established relationship. I know this chapter is a bit long, but I promise, it reads fast. I'll try to post at least once a week because I still have my scripts to work on, but I had some inspiration for this story and had to start on it. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, please let me know what you think._

Russell Cave National Monument, Alabama

Don Preston walked through Russel Cave, his flashlight shining a small circle of light off of the floor and walls. Twisting tunnels wound off the main trail, and Don's dog sniffed at the ground just ahead of the park ranger. The blue tick coon hound lifted its head and began to bay just before taking off down a side tunnel.

"Nutsy, you get back here you damn fool dog." Don ran after the dog, the light from his torch bouncing from one surface to the next creating grotesque shadows on the walls. When he got caught up with his dog, Nutsy howled and dug at the soft earth of the cave floor. The park ranger pulled the dog back and shone his flashlight onto the spot that had the dog so worked up. He gasped and stumbled back when he saw a partially decomposed arm in the circle of light on the floor. Shaking, he grabbed his radio and called headquarters.

"Ranger 4328 to base. We've got a problem here."

XxXxX

"Well Temperance, everything appears to be healing normally. There is some scar tissue developing, but that's to be expected given the degree of damage done to your uterus." Dr. Tarlow finished her examination and looked at her patient, Dr. Temperance Brennan. "Do you have any questions before I go?"

"The doctor who examined me in California said it might not be possible for me to bear children."

"At the moment, I'd agree with that. You've had a lot of damage done, and it's going to take time to heal completely. There isn't really a safe place for an embryo to attach, and even if you did manage to conceive I don't see you carrying to term, the muscle is just too weak for that. Given time the prognosis could change though."

"It could change how?" Brennan sat up and rearranged her hospital gown. Dr. Tarlow leaned back against a countertop and crossed her arms.

"Well, we might be able to go in and remove some of the developing scar tissue, and you always have the option to adopt or use a surrogate should you decide to have children."

"I don't know that I would consider those options. It's strange though. I've never planned on having children, but now I feel like the option of choice has been removed from the equation."

"Like I said, there are options, and the way I see it, if it's meant to happen it will. Should you become pregnant, we'd need to monitor you closely just to make sure that the baby would be okay."

"Well, thank you for your candor on the subject. My partner is such a family oriented man that I wanted to know what the chances were."

"Anytime Temperance. I expect to see you in here in six months for a follow up." Dr. Tarlow smiled and left the examination room so Brennan could dress. Temperance sat for a moment before pulling on her clothes. Her mind had not changed about having children. She still didn't want them, but to be told she couldn't have them if she wanted to… no, that wasn't entirely accurate. She could adopt or use a surrogate. Brennan shook her head to get the thoughts out. It wouldn't do to think about it. For now, she just needed to get back to work, finish up some paperwork and head out for a vacation with Russ, his family and her father.

As she left the sterile environment of the doctor's office and stepped out into the warm sunshine of DC, her cell phone rang. She answered it while pulling her car keys out from her purse.

"Brennan."

"Hey gorgeous, I need you to get back to the Jeffersonian. We have a case."

"Booth, you're going to have to work on it with Zack. I'm leaving for vacation this afternoon."

"Oh that's right, you're going somewhere with Russ."

"He, Amy and dad are going on a trip with the girls and invited me along. He said something about a surprise being involved."

"Are you sure you can't join them midway? You know I don't work well with the kid."

"I'm sure. Besides, you're a big boy. I'm sure you can handle Zack for a couple of days. Once I get back, I'll assist, but I'm not taking time away from my family to work."

"Fine. I'll see you when you get back then." Brennan frowned as she got into the car.

"Aren't the remains at the Jeffersonian?"

"No, they're out of state. I have to leave for the airport in a few hours. Zack's not going to hold me up is he?"

"He shouldn't. I was hoping to see you before I leave."

"Aww, you'll miss me that much?" Brennan laughed at the playful tone in his voice.

"Don't flatter yourself, and yes I'll miss you."

"Okay, you know, just so long as you'll miss me."

"I'll see you when I get back Booth."

"You too gorgeous." Brennan shook her head as she shut off her phone. The man was incorrigible but she couldn't help how she felt about him. She didn't know if she'd classify it as love, but in the six months since their relationship began in California they'd grown closer than she thought possible. Only Angela was aware of their relationship because Deputy Director Cullen's ultimatum remained hanging over their heads. His insistence on their remaining professional was based purely on conflict caused by Noor Haddad, a Lebanese Ambassador that Booth had been assigned to protect. The woman made a play for the FBI agent, and when he rebuffed her, she took a confidential file in an attempt to win his affections.

Brennan started her car and drove off for the Jeffersonian to finish up a few reports before leaving. There weren't many constants in her life anymore, but her brother and his family was now firmly entrenched in her life. They'd grown closer since his reappearance after fifteen years, and now she was vacationing with him in an attempt to bond with his girlfriend and her daughters. As Russ had said before, those two little girls were going to be her nieces one day. They were such wonderful little girls too. Seeing them so happy at Christmas was a joy, and Brennan could only think that Amy was truly a great mother. She didn't have much in the way of resources, but she and Russ did the best they could by those little girls.

Booth was a good parent too. He was caring and protective of his son Parker, worrying when he didn't hear from him, and joyful during the time they spent together. He was a man that deserved to have a large family. Brennan's throat constricted a little bit at the thought. He deserved a large family to share in the love he had to offer, and she couldn't provide that for him. Not that she wanted to, she reminded herself. Now it was just an impossibility.

And her own father… what to think about him. Max Keenan was acquitted for a murder he'd committed to save the lives of his two children. He was a free man and a mystery to her at the same time. Max lived near Russ, his influence creating a settling effect on the younger man, and she hadn't seen him since the acquittal. This was offering her the opportunity to see him again and to get reacquainted with a man she thought she knew.

She blinked in surprise finding that she was in her parking space at the Jeffersonian. Her thoughts carried her through the entire drive from the doctor's office. Brennan got out of the car and hurried to her office, passing by the platform on her way. Not noticing that her blinds were drawn, she stepped inside and immediately found herself in Booth's arms with his lips on hers.

"I decided I had to see you before I left," Booth said when he pulled away from her. Brennan settled into his arms and smiled up at him.

"I'm glad you decided to wait."

"Well, it was that and the kid insisting that he absolutely had to finish examining a leg bone or something. I wasn't exactly paying attention."

"Of course not. You don't think bones are good for anything."

"That's not true. There are plenty of things I can think of that my Bones is good for."

"You have a one track mind, don't you?"

"Only when it comes to you gorgeous." He kissed her again, this time sweeping his tongue along hers and eliciting a moan. Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, not wanting to break the contact. When he pulled away this time, he looked down at her, deep in thought. "I was thinking maybe when this case is over you and I could go away for a weekend, get in a little one on one time."

"I think we could do that. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

"We'll figure that out later. For now, I've got to go. Tell Russ hello for me."

"Okay, see you when I get back." Brennan leaned up and kissed him before letting him go. Their secret relationship was beginning to take its toll, and it was getting harder to hide. She personally didn't care who knew about it. Her team wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but the FBI would. Booth was still on a probationary period from the incident in San Diego, and until that was over, it just was not smart to reveal their relationship.

"Sweetie?" Angela stuck her head into the office, waving slightly at Booth as he walked past her and from the building.

"Yes Ange?"

"I finished the facial reconstruction on those remains from Indonesia."

"Great, thanks. Just send me the report and I'll look at it when I get back." The artist nodded and shut the door behind her.

"How'd your appointment go today?"

"Oh, it was fine. I'm fine."

"Uh huh. Like I'm going to believe that. Did the doctor say whether or not you can have kids?"

"Yes, Dr. Tarlow gave me an answer, but that doesn't matter, because I don't want children of my own, you know that."

"Bren, I just don't think you're giving the whole family thing a chance."

"I have my father, my brother and his girls, Booth and Parker in my life. I think I have the family thing covered."

"If you say so sweetie."

"I do. Now, if you'll excuse me Ange, I really need to get to work. I have to finish my reports before I go."

"Okay fine. I'll see you when you get back, and have fun with those little girls, alright?"

"Alright." Angela left the office and Brennan breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since she was shot, her best friend became a sort of mother hen trying to take care of her little chick. Angela was worried she knew, but sometimes the artist took it to the extreme end of caring. Taking in a breath to focus, Brennan moved to her desk and sat down to start on her paperwork.

XxXxX

Seeley Booth was miserable. He stood outside Russell Cave waiting for a guide to show him to the body while Zack Addy stood next to him looking like a lost puppy. Rain poured down around them, soaking them to their skin.

"Are you sure this is where the park ranger is supposed to meet us," Zack asked for the third time since they arrived. Booth looked heavenward for a moment and got a face full of rain for his trouble.

"Just like I told you the last two times, yes. This is where we're supposed to meet him."

"And you're sure we aren't lost?"

"Yes Zack. I don't get lost, okay?" Booth wrapped his arms tighter around his body trying in vain to warm up.

"Maybe we should just come back in the morning."

"No. We're here to look at the remains and we aren't leaving until we get to do so. I want to get back home as soon as possible." Booth and Zack turned when they heard barking in the distance. The FBI agent squinted, trying in vain to see through the heavy rainfall.

"That sounded like a dog." Zack looked at Booth for confirmation of the statement.

"Great, I'm here with Captain Obvious." The barking got closer and in the next moment, Booth found himself on the ground being licked to death by a hound dog.

"Nutsy, get off of him." Don Preston pulled the coon hound off of Booth and offered a hand to the FBI agent. Grumbling, Booth looked down at his clothes. It was official; his night couldn't get any worse as he found his favorite jeans and jacket covered in mud. "Sorry 'bout that. Some of the roads down below are flooding out or I woulda got here sooner."

"No, it's fine, really," Booth said, attempting to brush the mud off of his clothes.

"We'll have to wait 'til morning to get to the body what with the rain and all. Some of the tunnels can flood and it's a right big mess when they do."

"What do you mean we can't get to the remains tonight?"

"The local sheriffs can't get up here with their crime scene people until the roads clear up. You can get to Bridgeport okay, but I wouldn't venture much farther than that."

"Damn it. Okay, thanks."

"Right then, I'll meet you here in the morning, say nine o'clock?"

"Yeah, fine." Booth ran a muddy hand through his wet hair making it stick up in every direction. "Come on Zack, let's go." Booth motioned for the young anthropologist to follow him as they headed for the rental car.

"Where are we going now Agent Booth?" Zack got into the car with a squish, the water on his clothes splattering all over the beige seats of the car.

"We're going to Bridgeport and see if we can't get a room there for the night."

XxXxX

"Well, here we are," Max announced as he pulled the rented SUV into a parking spot outside their bed and breakfast. The place was quaint and old fashioned having once been a plantation with columns lining the front porch and willow trees lining the drive.

"This is a nice place," Russ said as he pulled on his coat. They were going to need to dash inside to stay as dry as possible. Amy handed jackets to her daughters as Max hopped out of the vehicle and ran for the front. The rest of the group followed, dashing to the front entrance of the bed and breakfast. They reached the doors along with two others who looked the worse for wear with mud covering their clothing. Max held open the door for everyone, pausing as the two bedraggled men followed them inside.

"Agent Booth," Max said as recognition dawned. Temperance turned around to look at the two men. A smile lit up her face when she realized exactly who it was that had followed them inside.

"Booth? What are you doing here?"

"I'm down here for my case, what are you doing here?" Water sluiced off of the agent and onto the floor taking some of the mud with it.

"We're here on vacation. My father has the whole thing planned."

"Well you're probably the first good thing to happen to me this evening." He looked so pathetic with the water pouring off of him that Temperance couldn't resist. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

"Maybe that can make it a little bit better," she said before turning to see the surprised faces of her family and Zack.

"Um Tempe, when exactly did you and Agent Booth get together," Russ asked, first looking from one and then the other.

"Six months ago when we were in California." Booth wrapped his arm around her, just glad to have her near him.

"Are y'all gonna check in, or just muddy up our foyer?" The group turned to look at the cheery African-American woman behind the reception desk. Max and Russ moved forward to get their rooms, but Booth hung back for a minute. He looked at Temperance and ran his hand up and down her arm.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course." Brennan offered the tired agent a smile and moved up to the reception desk to get their room. With Russ and Max's rooms taken care of, the front desk clerk turned to Booth and Brennan.

"One room for y'all?" She looked from one to the other.

"Yes. You should have a reservation already under the name Seeley Booth." Booth reached to an interior pocket and pulled out his identification as the clerk typed in some information into her computer.

"Of course, here we are. I have you down for the night is that correct?"

"There's a possibility we'll need to stay longer."

"That's fine. I shouldn't get anyone else in the next few days anyhow. Are y'all married?" Brennan and Booth looked at each other before turning back to the desk clerk.

"I really don't see how that's any of your business," Brennan said.

"I don't mean to get your knickers in a twist ma'am; just trying to be friendly is all."

"No, we're not," Booth responded as he swept his hand up and down Brennan's back. She shivered at the sensations the movement created. If there was one thing she would never get used to, it was the way her body responded to Booth. He only had to touch her and it sent little electrical impulses all through her. The clerk handed over a clipboard with some papers on it to Booth.

"If y'all could just fill these out I can get your keys. Your room will be on the second floor next to the others." The clerk looked at them and smiled, waiting for them to fill out the paperwork. Neither paid much attention to it, filling in the requested information and handing them back. The clerk looked over the papers and nodded her head before handing over a pair of keys to Booth. "Here you go, and I hope y'all enjoy your stay here in Bridgeport."

"Oh, I'm sure we will." Booth and Brennan left the counter to join Temperance's family as Zack checked into his room. Max looked over the pair once more before turning his gaze on Russ and Amy.

"Why don't we all get cleaned up a bit and meet for dinner around eight. The dining room stays open until ten, so we won't have to go out anywhere in this weather."

"Sounds good to me dad," Russ said as the others nodded their assent. "I don't know about anyone else, but I could definitely use a shower." After confirming that Zack was invited as well, everyone headed up the main stairs to their rooms. When the door shut behind Booth and Brennan, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Yes, he thought. A shower sounds good. A shower and some private time with Bones. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do we have to meet your family for dinner? I think I'd much rather stay here with you," Booth said as he laid on the king size bed in the room he shared with Temperance. Brennan stuck her head out of the bathroom as she ran a brush through her hair to look at him.

"Yes, we have to meet them for dinner. After that you have me to yourself all night." She was under no illusions about why he wanted to stay in, and the thought of staying in the room with Booth was tempting, but this was her family vacation.

"Fine, ruin all my fun," he sighed as he pulled himself to a sitting position. Brennan smiled as she watched him, enjoying the way his muscles tightened under his skin. Booth's control of his own strength fascinated the anthropologist, because she'd seen him when all of that power was unleashed on someone. He was like a big cat, everything coiled under the surface as he waited to pounce.

"Come on, get dressed, it's almost eight." She stepped back into the bathroom to dry her hair and Booth stood to get dressed. The changes he'd seen in Brennan since they'd begun to see each other sometimes amazed him. Through her other relationships he knew that she wasn't afraid of public displays of affection. Booth shuddered as he thought back to her kissing both David and Sully in front of him. At least now all of that affection was reserved for him as it should be.

He quickly pulled on a tee shirt and ran his fingers through his hair when Brennan finally emerged from the bathroom. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. Temperance wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer to her.

"Are you sure we have to go?"

"Oh stop it. I'd say to look at this dinner as a cultural more representative of a rite of passage whereby the family of your significant other passes judgment on your suitability as a provider, but you've met my family and have known them for a while, so the situation doesn't apply."

"You're something else, you know that? Come on, let's go." He pulled away from her and led her from the room hand in hand. When they reached the dining room, everyone else was already seated and waiting for the pair.

"Glad you could make it. I was about to send Russ up after you," Max said as they sat down, Booth holding out Brennan's chair as she settled in.

"Sorry it took so long," Brennan responded as she picked up the wine list. She looked over it quickly and ordered a pinot noir when the waiter arrived. Once everyone had their drinks, Russ cleared his throat.

"I told you that Amy and I have a surprise for everyone, and it's more a couple of things." He looked over at Amy and she reached over to squeeze his hand. "Yesterday we got married."

"You're married? Well congratulations, although I had hoped whenever you got married I'd be able to attend the ceremony," Max said to the pair.

"We're planning to have a bigger ceremony later on, but we decided to just rush the ceremony," Amy clarified for the group. Max held up his glass and smiled.

"A toast to the happy couple. I wish you all the best in the years to come. You've got a great girl there and I know you'll take good care of her." Everyone at the table lifted their glasses and saluted before taking a sip. Booth leaned over to Brennan as they set their glasses down.

"Okay, now I'm glad we did make it down. This does seem a little more 'culturally appropriate' or whatever." Brennan turned her head slightly and laughed slightly as Booth lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed her fingers. When she pulled her hand back from his lips, she laced her fingers with his and dropped them from view below the table.

"One rite of passage for another I suppose." Brennan looked back to Russ and Amy as she leaned forward over the table. "You said you have two pieces of information for us."

"Yes. The reason we eloped is because I'm pregnant. We wanted to be married before the baby is born, but don't want to spend the money for a big ceremony. We can wait on that."

"Mommy, you're going to have a baby?" Hayley looked up at her mother as did Emma. Amy reached over and ruffled their hair.

"Yes, and I know you and your sister will make great little helpers for me."

"That's great news you two, I know you'll be great parents, you already are," said Booth. He glanced over at Brennan and noticed that though she was smiling, she seemed troubled as her hand covered the scar on her abdomen. Apparently Zack noticed too.

"Dr. Brennan, are you okay?" Temperance looked at Zack, and then became aware of her family staring at her.

"I'm fine Zack, really. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Something anthropological I'm sure," Booth said to cover up Brennan's obvious distress at the attention she was garnering. He could see the wheels turn in her head before she pulled a smile onto her face and gave a quick nod.

"Booth and I were discussing rites of passage on the way down here, and it's occurred to me that this seems to be a night for them. First with Booth joining us at a family dinner, indicative of him being accepted into familial bonds, and now with a child on the way for Russ and Amy as well as their nuptials, we have most of the major rites in western culture occurring."

"Oh, well that's…interesting," Amy said, unsure whether or not she understood what exactly Brennan was talking about. Temperance gave Booth's hand a squeeze under the table in thanks. Her current medical condition was not something she wanted to discuss with her family or Zack, and the topic was too close to the surface of discussion. Booth offered her a wink when she looked at him as Zack began a spiel about the various rites of passages in society. Brennan knew that her behavior at the news that her brother and new sister-in-law were expecting would be brought up later, and she knew that Booth would expect an answer from her. Though she'd avoided the subject for the past six months, the time had come for her to let Booth know the extent of her injuries.

XxXxX

Stephen Drace sat at his table in the dining room next to the fireplace and took a sip of wine. As a travel reporter, he truly enjoyed his job, being able to stay all over the country and rate the places he stayed. This bed and breakfast was on the top of his list for service and affordability, and the relaxed atmosphere of the place allowed for a comfortable setting in which to people watch. His attention was on a large group nearby that was toasting a recent wedding. Stephen looked over the group, searching for the newly married couple and spotted them almost immediately.

His heart always warmed when he could see two people in love, and this couple was no exception as the man leaned in for an intimate whisper and kissed his wife's fingers. As he took a closer look at the pair, he was surprised to recognize the woman as Temperance Brennan. So, it would seem that the humble bed and breakfast was a good spot to have a destination wedding. Though he kept up on celebrity news, he couldn't recall hearing that the best selling author was engaged.

Stephen held up a hand, signaling a waiter over to his table as he continued to watch the group.

"Yes sir, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Not for me thanks, but for the newlyweds there." Stephen pointed over to the group and the waiter nodded. "Could you please upgrade their room to a suite and put it on my bill?"

"Of course sir, is there anything else?"

"Make sure they have a bottle of champagne and a dessert waiting for them as well. Thank you." The waiter nodded and left the table. Smiling, Stephen took another sip of his wine. It was just so nice to be able to make someone's day this way and offer an anonymous present of congratulations. He turned his attention from the group and back to his laptop. This was a great article just begging to be written.

XxXxX

"Bones, what exactly happened at dinner tonight?" Booth held Temperance to him, her back to his front as they lay in bed together. He kissed her bare shoulder and ran a hand down the silky skin of her abdomen until his hand settled over the gunshot wound on her abdomen. "Is there something wrong? You didn't seem too happy for your brother and Amy."

"No, I'm happy for them, really." Temperance rolled over to face Booth and settled her head onto his chest, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat. "I had a doctor's appointment this morning."

"Bones, are you pregnant?" Booth lifted his head from the pillow to look at her. Her eyes met his and she shook her head.

"No, I'm not. The appointment was a follow-up. I can't have children." Both were quiet for a long time, and it left Brennan nervous. His reaction would tell her everything about how he felt. Booth ran a hand over her hair and stared at the ceiling for a long time before answering with his thoughts.

"Well I thought you didn't want children to begin with."

"I don't, but to have choice taken completely out of the equation is a little disconcerting. Now it doesn't matter if I want them or not." Booth sat up in the bed and pulled her up with him keeping her head on his shoulder.

"You always have a choice in the matter. If you really wanted a child, you could always adopt."

"But what about you, don't you want anymore kids?" Booth kissed the top of Temperance's head and smiled into her hair.

"I have a son. I don't need more kids Bones. Besides, if being with you means that I won't have anymore kids, then I'm fine with that. I don't want to lose you over an issue that we can resolve." Brennan pulled away from Booth slightly to look at him.

"You surprise me sometimes."

"Only sometimes? I thought I was a constant surprise." He grinned at her when she smiled. Tugging her back down to the mattress, he rolled until he was over her and looking into her eyes. "The only thing I won't compromise on is keeping you in my life."

"Hmm, a little less telling and a little more showing please," Temperance said before kissing Booth. He growled a little when she nipped his lip, but swept his tongue into her mouth and dubbed it against her until she moaned in pleasure. A little more showing indeed. He'd show her exactly how long he could express his feelings.

XxXxX

"What do we have here Zack?" Booth stood in the dark tunnel with Booth, a few generator powered lights surrounding them. The FBI agent held his hand over his mouth to block out the smell of the decomposing remains while the young anthropologist examined the body.

"Epithelial fusion sets the age at mid to late fifties, while the structure of the pelvis would indicate a male." Zack ran his hands along the exposed bones, the fleshy bits attached squishing as he passed over them. Booth held back the urge to gag at the combined sound and smell. "This man's had a lot of damage done to his bones. Several of his lumbar vertebrae show fusioning, as do the cervical vertebrae. He has no cartilage let in on his femoral heads."

"Great, but what does that mean?" Booth glanced down at the remains as he took his hand away from his mouth in order to write down the information. Yuck didn't begin to describe it.

"His spine and neck would have had extremely limited movement from the fusions and his femoral joints show severe arthritis. This man shouldn't even be able to walk."

"Okay, so what killed him? Any sign of foul play?"

"There's damage to his parietal bone congruent with blunt force trauma. The blow would have been enough to kill him." Booth shook his head as he finished with the information and put his notepad away.

"Man, who would do that to someone who couldn't even walk?" Zack looked up at Booth from his position by the remains.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to find out Agent Booth?"

"I was asking a rhetorical question kid. Is there anything else you can glean before the body is shipped back to the Jeffersonian?"

"No. For a more in depth analysis of the remains, I'll need to be in the lab."

"Okay great. You can go back with the remains, and I'll see what I can find as far as missing persons go." Booth leaned down and clapped Zack on the shoulder. "You ready to go kid?"

"I will be once the remains are secured."

"You can see to that, right?"

"Of course I can."

"Great, then I'll leave you to it. Ranger Preston can show you out." Booth turned on his heel and left the remains with Zack after giving orders to the local CSUs to listen to everything the anthropologist told them. He needed to get in range of a signal to call in the information if he was to have any missing persons files to go through, and while waiting, he could spend a little time with Temperance and her family. Yep, things were definitely going well.

XxXxX

Sam Cullen sat at his desk going over a few files in need of his signature. As he flipped through the paperwork and gave it a quick perusal, a light knock sounded on his door.

"Come in," he said as he looked up toward the doorway. His secretary stood there with a worried expression on her face. "What is it Karen?"

"Sir, have you heard anything about Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan being involved?"

"No, I can't say that I have. I made it quite clear to Agent Booth that if his relationship with Dr. Brennan went beyond the professional that his partnership with her would be terminated. Why do you ask?"

"Well, my husband and I are looking into places to go for a vacation, and he came across an article that was posted this morning on a bed and breakfast in Alabama."

"What does this have to do with Agent Booth?"

"The reporter mentioned that the place was a great place for newlyweds, and the accompanying photograph shows Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan together."

"Show me." Cullen moved back away from his desk as Karen stepped around the desk. She quickly pulled up the travel website and moved away from the computer. Deputy Director Cullen looked at the article and clenched his fists tightly. Agent Booth had a lot of explaining to do when he got back from Alabama, and this time there was no ambassador to protect him from repercussions.

XxXxX

"I don't know who did it, but we got our room upgraded to a suite and there was dessert left for us and the girls," Amy said to Brennan as they sat on the front porch of the bed and breakfast. "I didn't even know they had suites at these places."

"With a structure as large as this one, I imagine they have the resources to have suites." Brennan looked out, watching as her nieces played on the front lawn. The two girls chased each other around, giggling when they tagged each other and began to run again.

"So what is going on with you and Agent Booth? I thought you would have told us that you were dating."

"Booth and I have been keeping the relationship under the radar because of possible repercussions with our partnership. Booth was told by his boss that he had to keep things professional or our working relationship would be terminated among other things."

"Well that's not fair. It's not like you work for the FBI."

"I feel the same way, but there are extenuating circumstances surrounding that decision."

"Ah. I think I understand. Speaking of Agent Booth, here he comes." Amy nodded her head in the direction of the long driveway. Booth walked up the driveway, a frown on his face as he talked on his phone. A sinking feeling settled into the pit of Brennan's stomach as she watched him approach.

"What's wrong," she asked quietly when he reached the porch. Booth held up a finger for her to wait as he finished his call.

"I have no idea what you're talking about sir. I most certainly am not married." The agent sat down next to Brennan and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes sir, I'll be back in the morning. I won't be able to catch an earlier flight, no." When the conversation ended, he flipped his phone shut and looked over at Temperance.

"Booth, what's the matter?"

"Cullen seems to think we're married and wants to talk to me in the morning." He and Temperance locked eyes. Wherever he'd gotten that idea, it was sure to cause more problems than either one of them or their partnership needed.

"Well, it looks like we'll be speaking to Cullen in the morning," Brennan said, the note of finality in her voice telling Booth that there was no arguing the subject. If Cullen seemed to think they were married, then she needed to return with him to sort out the mess.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'll be back in a couple of days dad. I have to go back to Washington to help settle this work situation with Booth." Temperance set her suitcase down next to her while she and her father talked. Max frowned and crossed his arms as he looked at his daughter. This was supposed to be a family vacation, and already his workaholic daughter wanted to leave.

"Do you have to go? I mean can't Agent Booth take care of the situation himself?"

"Normally yes, but Deputy Director Cullen is under the impression that Booth and I are married. Booth is already on probation for a problem that occurred in California, and we just want to make sure that we both can talk to Cullen about this. Our partnership could be dissolved otherwise." Max looked at his daughter for a long moment and nodded in understanding.

"Well, hurry back then. I know the girls really want you here with the rest of us."

"I'll be back soon dad, I promise. As soon as this marriage thing is resolved I'll be back." Brennan hugged her father and picked up her suitcase as Booth came back through the front door.

"Bones, you ready? The plane leaves in a couple of hours, so we need to get going." He took the suitcase from her and guided her to the car, his hand on her lower back as always. When Booth felt her stiffen up, he removed his hand and looked at her. "Is there something wrong gorgeous?"

"Maybe we should refrain from any physical contact when in public. Something had to trigger the misconception about our personal status."

"I've been doing this for what, three years now? If I suddenly stopped touching you then Cullen would know something was up. Besides, we aren't married, so there shouldn't be a problem." Brennan looked at Booth as she contemplated what he said. It was true that they had maintained close physical contact for years, and in fact most times before their current relationship began people always thought that they were together as a couple.

"You're right, a sudden change would warrant suspicions, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be more discreet. We both have been more open of late with our affections." Booth opened the rental car's door for Brennan and shut it after she stepped inside. He jogged around to the driver's side and got in, starting the car and heading out before finishing the conversation.

"That I think we can do." He offered her a smile and a wink before taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. Yeah, like not touching her was going to be an option.

XxXxX

"What do you have for me Dr. Hodgins," Camille Saroyan said as she snapped on her latex gloves and stepped up to the newly arrived remains. Dr. Jack Hodgins, the entomologist and geologist in residence picked up a Petri dish and set it under the lens of a microscope.

"I've got some _calliphidae_ pupal casings here. I'd say our vic met his untimely end approximately twelve days ago." He set down the dish and began to sift through some of the dirt that accompanied the body to the lab. Cam looked over the remains and pulled a magnifier over the chest of the victim and looked at the remaining soft tissue. She ran a finger over the markings there, trying to judge how deep they were.

"There are some odd striations here in the musculature as if something tore at his flesh."

"Ew, something tore chunks out of his chest," asked Angela as she scanned onto the platform, a photograph in her hand. "That's just gross. I've got a match on his dentals by the way." The artist held out the paper, which Zack took from her as he got up from his work station.

"Bill Lightfoot Brody? No way!" Cam stepped up next to Zack and looked at the photograph. Hodgins also made his way over to take a look.

"You know who this is?"

"Dude, anyone who was a fan of eighties wrestling knows who Bill Lightfoot is. He's a legend."

"He's won the world championship fifteen times through various organizations and has been in the business for thirty years. He just had a retirement match about two weeks ago," Zack prattled as he looked from the picture to the remains. He couldn't believe it, Bill Lightfoot was on their examination table.

"Well, you'd better call Booth with the information. He's going to want it right away," Cam said as she returned to the remains. There really was something odd about the damage to the tissue. "As soon as I'm done with my cursory evaluation you can have the remains Zack." The young anthropologist nodded as he made his way to the phone at his station to call Booth. Just wait until he finds out who this is, Zack thought as he dialed. Imagine, Bill Lightfoot right here. It was too bad someone had to kill a legend like him. Such a shame indeed.

XxXxX

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, please have a seat," Deputy Director Cullen said as he motioned to the chairs opposite his desk. As the pair sat, he folded his hands and looked at them. "I want you to explain to me why I had to find out that you were married from an internet article."

"Sir, Bones and I aren't married. I don't know where anyone would have gotten that idea from." Cullen picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the FBI agent.

"I printed a copy of this article after it was brought to my attention. I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't lie to me on the subject; it's only going to make me angrier." Booth perused the article before handing it over to Brennan. Well, he thought, that explains a lot.

"Sir, the newlyweds referred to in this article are Bone's brother and his wife Amy. The author was mistaken in thinking that Bones and I got married." Cullen looked from one to the other, not sure if he believed Booth.

"If that's the case, then what were the two of you doing at the same bed and breakfast while a case is being investigated? I know you never work with other people unless there are mitigating circumstances."

"Director Cullen, Booth is working on the case with Dr. Addy because I'm on vacation this week and next. My family just happened to choose Bridgeport, Alabama purely by coincidence. I had no prior knowledge as to where we were going. When we discovered Booth and Dr. Addy were also there, we invited them to dinner."

"I'm going to have this looked into, and until I can prove without a doubt that the pair of you are telling me the truth, you are banned from working together. Booth, any cases given to you will be assisted by Dr. Addy. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Booth answered. His jaw clenched tightly, and he gripped the arms of the chair hard. The situation wasn't fair in the least, and there was no reason for them to be separated.

"You're dismissed Agent Booth," Cullen said before returning to the paperwork on his desk. Booth stood with Temperance and guided her from the room. She could feel anger pouring off of him in thick waves, but refrained from speaking to him until they were out of the building. Once in the SUV, the agent couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"It's bull. He had no right to split us up. It was one thing to do so while your father was on trial, but now? This is ridiculous." Brennan placed her hand on his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze in an effort to calm down Booth.

"This is only temporary. Once he finds out that the journalist was incorrect, we'll have our partnership back. I'll get a hold of my publicist and have her contact the travel site to issue an apology and statement about my marital status, okay?" Booth placed his own hand over hers and interlaced their fingers before bringing them to his lips and kissing them. "For now, I think we should just go to the Jeffersonian and see what they've found out about the remains."

"Sure. I suppose we're just going to have to bite the bullet on this one. When are you going back to Alabama?"

"I'm flying back tomorrow morning. I promised I'd join everyone on a tour of Russell Cave, the parts that are open at any rate, and then we're driving up to Memphis from there."

"And you'll be gone for two weeks? Maybe I'll get lucky and have the case solved by then, and Cullen will figure out that we're not married, and everything will go back to normal." Brennan shook her head a little and looked out of the window.

"Maybe if you do solve the case by then you and Parker can join us for a couple of days." Booth turned toward Brennan and found her hand unconsciously settling on her abdomen. He was sure she wasn't aware of the move as she continued to stare out of the window.

"Sure Bones, I'm sure Parker would love that." She turned back to him and smiled. "Now what do you say we find out what the squints have for us, huh?"

"You mean what they have for you."

"Yeah, for me."

XxXxX

"Are you sure it's my father," Trisha Brody asked as she led Booth to her living room. She appeared dumbstruck by the news to Booth as she sat down in a large overstuffed chair. Booth looked around the living room as he sat across from her on the couch. Trisha was very much her father's daughter with her athletic build and no nonsense look.

"Yes, we've confirmed his identity through dental records. There are some questions I need to ask, but let me know if you need a minute, okay?"

"Of course, I understand."

"You put in the missing persons report on your father. When exactly was the last time you saw him?"

"The last time I saw him was over a month ago. Between my training and his work schedule we didn't get to see much of each other, but he'd call me every night just to check in. When I didn't hear from him, I reported him missing."

"Were you aware of anyone who had a problem with your father, anyone who wanted to harm him maybe?" Booth glanced at some pictures on the end table next to the couch. Most showed Trisha and her father at various ages posing with wrestlers. One picture however caught his attention. In it, the young woman stood in the ring with a two by four covered in barbed wire in her hand. He picked it up to look at it as she contemplated his question.

"Dad was really well respected in the business. The guys in the locker room all looked up to him, listened to him when he gave them advice. It's not that often they get to work with an old timer."

"So your father never mentioned having issues with any of the guys he worked with?"

"No, not at all. Wait, actually there was one guy who had a problem with my father. Dad said that Michael Draven thought he was sleeping with his girlfriend. It's a totally ridiculous accusation, but Draven was furious. He's a pretty powerful guy Agent Booth, and I wouldn't put it past him to try something." Booth set the photograph down on the end table and stood up.

"Thanks for your help Trisha. I'll give you a call if I need anything else." He headed for the door after shaking her hand and left the house. It looked like it was time to track down the head of the wrestling promotion Bill Lightfoot worked for and see if he could get some more information on the guy.

XxXxX

Booth leaned down and kissed Brennan on the shoulder as he held her body to him. She rolled over in his arms and laid her head onto his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as she ran a hand over the taught muscles of his abdomen. The FBI agent smiled and closed his eyes in contentment. These were the moments he cherished the most, the moments where it was just the two of them and the rest of the world seemed to melt away.

"Do you have to go back tomorrow," he asked Temperance as he tangled a hand into her thick auburn hair. She glanced up at him before settling against him once more.

"I promised my family I'd be back as soon as everything was settled. My lawyer has drafted a statement and sent a letter to the online company stating that an error was made. Cullen will have his assurances, and we'll have our partnership back."

"Hmmm, I wish you were staying longer."

"I'll only be gone for two weeks Booth, it's not like we'll be separated for months at a time."

"I know that, but I don't like it when you're not around." He ran a hand up her back, enjoying the way she shuddered under the touch.

"When did you get so needy?"

"I'm not needy, there are just certain needs you fulfill that I can't do on my own."

"Oh, so I'm only good for releasing your biological urges is that it?"

"Well, that among other things," Booth grinned and leaned in to kiss her. Just before he reached her lips, his phone rang. With a groan, he rolled away from the anthropologist and grabbed his cell phone from his bedside table. Flipping it open, he grumbled into the phone, "Booth."

"Seeley, it's Rebecca."

"Well obviously. What's up, is Parker okay?" Booth sat up in bed and concentrated on the call. It wasn't like Rebecca to call in the evenings.

"Yes, he's fine. Listen, the reason I'm calling is because I just got that job I interviewed for."

"The I.T. specialist?"

"Yes."

"Well congratulations, but I don't see how it warrants a phone call."

"The position is in New Jersey. I'll be moving in two weeks."


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: The state law mentioned in this chapter is a real law still on the books, but probably super ceded by statutes written in the seventies. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, please let me know what you think._

"I'm not trying to limit your visitation rights at all to Parker, I hope you know that, but this promotion is offering too much to give up." Booth blew out a breath and ran his hand through his hair. Brennan sat up and looked at him, concern evident in her features. She mouthed, "What's wrong," and nodded when he held up a finger to pause her.

"Look, Rebecca, why don't we talk about this tomorrow. You know, we could meet for lunch or something."

"Oh, sure of course. Seeley, I didn't mean to spring this on you. I honestly thought I'd have more time to make the move."

"No, I didn't think you were telling me last minute, it's just bad timing, that's all."

"Does this have something to do with you and Dr. Brennan? I was hoping if you'd married, you would tell me before hand."

"Jesus, we didn't get married. Where did you hear it?"

"It was on the evening news, and why would they say you and Dr. Brennan were married if you weren't?"

"There was a misunderstanding, has to do with her brother. Look, I'll talk about this tomorrow, but right now I just need time to think about everything."

"Okay, then I'll see you tomorrow. You want to meet at the diner?"

"Sure, sounds good."

"All right then, I'll see you tomorrow." Booth flipped his phone shut and leaned back onto the headboard.

"Booth, what's going on, is Parker okay?" The FBI agent looked over at Brennan and gave her a tired smile.

"Parker's fine, it's just…Rebecca's moving to New Jersey in two weeks, and the evening news announced that you and I were married. So much for your press release."

"Give it time Booth, I'm sure the correction will be announced in the morning." She squeezed his hand and laid her head onto his shoulder. "What's going to happen with Parker?"

"I don't know. I'm meeting her for lunch tomorrow, so we'll see."

"Booth, if you want me to postpone my vacation and stay here…"

"No, don't worry about it. I don't think Rebecca's gonna keep me from seeing him, it's just bad timing." He scrubbed a hand down his face in frustration. Why did everything always have to hit at once? Brennan leaned up and kissed him slowly, her lips working over his and drawing him into her. When she pulled away from him, Booth had his arms wrapped around her and longing to feel her lips on his again.

"Worrying about something when you don't have all the details won't get you anywhere, so let me help you relax and you'll be able to go in to tomorrow with a fresh mind."

"Hmmmm, what are you thinking of doing exactly?"

"Why don't I show you instead?"

XxXxX

Deputy Director Cullen sat at his desk the next day, a phone to his ear as he waited for the front desk attendant of the bed and breakfast to return to the line. The morning news held a statement that an error in Dr. Brennan's marital status had been made after a report the evening before commented on her nuptials. If there was something going on between her and Agent Booth, then they were going to extreme lengths to cover it up. It wasn't as if they didn't deserve to be in a relationship after the amount of time they'd worked together, and frankly he didn't care. He did however answer to the review board, and since their ultimatum was that the partners have nothing but a professional relationship, he had no choice but to issue consequences for breaking the rules laid down.

"Sorry to keep you waiting sir, how can I help you." Cullen's attention was brought back to the phone as the front desk clerk came back onto the line.

"Yes, this is Deputy Director Sam Cullen with the FBI. I was hoping you could provide me with some information regarding guests staying at your establishment."

"Sir, our records are confidential, and I can only release them if a warrant is issued."

"I understand that, but I was hoping you would be willing to forgo that step in the process. One of my agents stayed there about two nights ago and I needed to confirm information regarding the other parties that checked in with him." There was a pause on the line, and he waited for the girl to make up her mind. When he heard her sigh, he smiled a bit. Looks like she's willing to cooperate after all.

"I'll look up our logs from the past week. What names are you looking for?"

"Last name Brennan." He heard the sound of keys clacking on a keyboard before the young woman spoke again.

"It looks like a Russ Brennan checked out three rooms two nights ago, one of which was registered under the name of Max Keenan."

"How about Seeley Booth?" Again he heard the tapping sound of typing over the line.

"Seeley Booth checked out a room for one night, as did a Zack Addy."

"There's no information on a Temperance Brennan?"

"No, but I would assume that she occupied one of the three rooms registered to Russ Brennan."

"Okay, thank you so much for your assistance."

"Was there anything else you needed sir?"

"No, I think that's it. Thanks again." Cullen hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. It appeared that Agent Booth had been telling the truth, but he would dig a little deeper. There had to be a reason the travel reporter thought that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth were married. Cracking his fingers, he turned to his computer and sent a request for a records search. Maybe there was some sort of paper trail to be found on whether or not Dr. Brennan spent her time with Booth or not.

XxXxX

Angela stood in front of the holographic machine running scenarios on the information Zack gave her on Bill Lightfoot. Entering in all of the data regarding former and current injuries, she had a good estimate on how the man moved. The vertebral fusion in his neck and back limited his flexibility and range of motion, as did the pervasive arthritis in his shoulders, hips and ankles. That the man could move at all seemed a miracle.

Clicking on a scenario, she watched it play and frowned. It just didn't seem to be right. Her computer ran through variables on impact force for the parietal trauma, but nothing seemed to match up, especially to the dimpling that surrounded the main damage. There was similar dimpling on the ribs and sternum. In all, the wounds didn't make any sense. Frustrated, she set down her control pad.

"No luck?" She looked to the doorway and beckoned Hodgins inside. He looked up at the spinning image of Bill Lightfoot with a certain level of awe, much to Angela's amusement.

"Do you want me to leave the two of you alone," she asked him as she chuckled. He grinned at her and held up a DVD.

"I think you're going about the injuries the wrong way. Bill Lightfoot was a wrestler, so you might want to look into different weapons used inside of the ring."

"Weapons?"

"Yeah, you know, steel chairs, ladders, sledge hammers, that sort of thing."

"Someone would willingly use a sledge hammer on another human being for entertainment?"

"Well it's not like they actually get hurt." Hodgins looked around the office and found a handled dustbin. He checked it for waste before swinging the upturned pan toward Angela. He held one hand on the handle, and the other covered the end of the dust bin. "They come at you like this." He jabbed the pan toward Angela, his hand lightly coming into contact with her middle.

"So it looks fake too."

"It does not. I just don't do it very well. At any rate, this DVD shows a lot of extreme wrestling, so maybe we can get a better idea about what might have been used."

"That's of course assuming that it was a wrestler who killed him."

"Seems the most likely scenario doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does, I just prefer to not watch people beating the hell out of each other just to entertain a crowd."

"Well, it's all in the name of science, right?" Angela looked at him and shook her head.

"You just want an excuse to watch wrestling while you're working." She took the DVD from him and sat down at her desk. Hodgins pulled up a chair making himself comfortable as she started up the program. In the name of science, yeah right, Angela thought. Boys could be such boys.

"Caught me huh?" The entomologist grinned as he stared eagerly at the computer screen. With an amused chuckle, she turned her attention to the screen. His idea did have merit and could help eliminate which injuries were caused in the ring and which were done in an attack afterwards. That was what mattered at this point. The more information they could glean, the sooner they could catch the murderer.

XxXxX

"Okay so what's with the sudden move Rebecca?" Booth sat at his usual table, a cup of coffee and a slice of pie in front of him. Rebecca Stinson sat across from him sipping on a glass of iced tea.

"I saw the opportunity to seek a higher position within my company and took it. The pay is a lot better, and it's a change I need, Seeley."

"So you're just going to move away and take Parker with you?"

"Yes. Look, I'm not trying to deny you any visitation rights. You're a good father, and have a stable if somewhat perplexing relationship with Dr. Brennan whom Parker can't seem to stop talking about. I wouldn't want to deny you the right to see your son. Besides, New Jersey isn't that far away."

"It's far enough that I can't see him every weekend like I do now." Booth speared his pie and pulled up a huge piece of apple.

"I want you to have the same amount of time with him that you do now; it'll just need to be a bit more spread out is all."

"Yeah, how so?"

"Well, I figure you can have him one weekend a month, every other holiday and all summer long." Booth looked at her suspiciously. It seemed like a good deal, but there had to be a catch to it. Rebecca must have read his thoughts in his expression because she sighed and crossed her arms. "That's my offer Seeley. If you have another solution I'd like to hear it. I don't want our son bouncing between schools. You'll still have him just as much if not more than you do now. We'll even alternate holidays so that if I have him at Christmas this year, you'll have him next year. I want this to work out."

"I can't see that I have much of a choice or say in the matter. I just feel like you're taking him away from me."

"I'm not trying to do anything of the sort. I want you to be involved in Parker's life. You just won't be able to coach his little league team anymore." The two looked at each other for a long time before Booth sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine, I'll go along with your terms. I just really wish you could wait on the move."

"So do I, but it's just not viable. I already have a realtor looking into houses for us. A house Seeley. That's not something I can afford here on my salary." Rebecca looked out the window and toward the busy street outside. Booth took the opportunity to really look at his ex. She was right about the house. He was never able to own one either, but with his relationship with Temperance growing steadily stronger he wanted to suggest they buy one together.

"Let me know when you have a place lined up and I'll help you move."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know that, but I want to. It's the least I can do when you're being more than fair about the custody thing." Rebecca offered him a genuine smile.

"You're a good man Seeley. Don't ever let anyone say different."

XxXxX

Brennan got out of the taxi and walked up the steps to the bed and breakfast as she looked around for her family. Amy assured her when she called earlier that they would be around until she got back from Washington DC. The anthropologist was in a bad mood over the whole marriage issue, and stopped answering her cell phone unless it was someone she knew. The calls from reporters were beginning to grate on her nerves. Until the entire situation was resolved, she didn't want to talk to anyone or answer another question about her relationship with Booth.

She stepped into the lobby of the bed and breakfast, looking around again for her family. The front desk clerk from the other day was there, and looked up in greeting.

"Is there anything I can do for you Mrs. Booth?" Brennan looked up at her sharply and scowled.

"Excuse me?"

"Well you seem to be looking for something or someone. Maybe I can help."

"No, what did you call me?"

"Mrs. Booth."

"My name is Temperance Brennan."

"Oh, my apologies. I thought you'd be takin' your husband's name."

"I'm not married!"

"You did stay in Mr. Booth's room the other night didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well then, by Alabama State Law, you're married." Brennan looked at the clerk, her mouth open in shock. It took a moment for the shock to wear off before she could respond.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Because I stayed in a hotel room with my partner, I'm suddenly married to him? I don't think so."

"You can look up the statutes if you'd like, but law states that if a woman stays in a hotel room with a man, and that room is registered to the man, you are by law married." Brennan couldn't think of a single thing to stay. Instead she sat down on a couch in the foyer. She needed her facts checked, and the only person to do that was Caroline Julian.


	5. Chapter 5

"You want to run that by me again Cherie?" Caroline Julian stared at her phone, unable to believe the information she'd just received from Dr. Brennan. She could hear the frustration in the anthropologist's voice as she repeated what she'd just told the attorney.

"Could you please do a search of Alabama marital law? The front desk clerk at this bed and breakfast is under the impression that Booth and I are married. It's completely ludicrous, but I'd like a confirmation on that information."

"I'll look into it right away. What exactly did you do that would lead them to believe you're married?"

"According to the information I was given by staying with Booth in his hotel room I am now legally wed to him."

"Huh. You've got to love those old laws still on the books. I'll take a search for you and get back to you this evening."

"Thank you Caroline."

"You're welcome. Keep in mind though Cherie that you now owe me for my help in California as well as for this."

"Of course."

"You take care, and I'll see what I can find." They got off the phone and Caroline shook her head. Married. Leave it to that pair to get themselves in trouble without even being aware of it.

XxXxX

"Mr. Kennedy, thank you for seeing me on such short notice. My name is Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI. I have a few questions regarding Bill Lightfoot Brody." Booth showed the wrestling promoter his badge as they walked down the hallway of a sports arena together. Hanson Kennedy was in his early sixties and powerfully built for a man of his age. He wore an expensive suit and walked with a confident swagger.

"So you've located Bill. He's not in any trouble is he?"

"He's dead sir." Hanson stopped walking and turned to face Booth. He looked ashen at the news.

"Oh god, what happened?"

"That's what I'm investigating. Do you know if he had any enemies, or anyone who would want to hurt him in any way?"

"As far as I'm aware, Bill got along with everyone. The guys really respected him and listened when he gave advice."

"His daughter mentioned something about a Michael Draven?" Hanson sighed and motioned down a walkway leading to the main arena. Booth walked with him noticing the wrestling ring in the center of the arena and barriers being erected.

"I didn't think there was any real problem between the two men, at least not anything that would result in violence. Bill was particularly close to one of our divas, a young woman by the name of Destiny Regal. He was a mentor of sorts, and Michael was under the impression that the two were closer than that."

"He thought they were involved?"

"Yes. Instead of talking to Bill about it, Michael came to me and asked if he could face him in the ring, get his point across that way. The two always worked off each other so well I didn't really see a problem with it. Over the last few months, Bill and he had several matches that led to his retirement match."

"What do you mean by retirement match?"

"Bill has a passion for this sport that's hard to come by nowadays, and he's taken a lot of risks as a result. He was in a lot of pain, so I told him I would keep him on staff, but that he needed to retire from the ring. He agreed, but said that if he was going to retire, then he didn't want a desk job."

"So he had this retirement match, and what, just left?" Booth stopped as Hanson quit walking and motioned to a young man working inside of the newly erected ring with several female wrestlers.

"Well, he was supposed to show up the next night in Savannah for a tribute show, but since he never showed up, we cancelled the show and just had some filler matches." Hanson turned to the young man as he reached them and indicated Booth with his hand. "Michael Draven, meet Seeley Booth. He's here with the FBI."

"Yeah so?" The younger man looked Booth up and down, obviously unimpressed with what he saw. Booth scowled at him, but said nothing. He looked over Michael's shoulder and noticed that the female wrestlers were all eyeing him rather appreciatively.

"I understand that you had a problem with Bill Lightfoot."

"Bastard was trying to make moves on my girlfriend. Why do you care, is he trying to press charges against me or something?"

"No, he's dead." One of the women let out a small yelp and covered her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Bill can't be dead, he just can't," the young woman sobbed. Booth looked up at her. She was beautiful with long blonde hair, piercing green eyes and a shape most women would envy. Michael also turned around to look at her, only he was scowling.

"Just stay out of this Destiny." He turned back to Booth and stepped up into the FBI agent's personal space. Booth simply stood up straighter and met the muscular younger man eye to eye. "I see what you're doing here. You came down here to find out why I was pissed off at the old man. Just because I was mad at him doesn't mean I murdered him." Booth smirked.

"Who said anything about murder?"

XxXxX

Zack stood in the middle of the ookey room, the table cleared of remains and pushed to one side. He had several blocks of ballistic gel set up to look like heads on a platform and various implements leaning against a wall as he hefted a kendo stick into the air. Just as he began to swing it at the ballistic gel, Hodgins popped into the room, startling him. As the kendo stick missed the gel and hit the steel table, the entomologist chuckled.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Zack straightened up and shook out his hands which were pulsing from the missed hit.

"I'm testing your hypothesis that this could be wrestling related. Angela gave me specific instruments to try, so I'm trying to get the impressions in the ballistic gel." Hodgins looked over the items there and picked up the sledgehammer with a grin. He hefted it, testing the weight before swinging at one of the heads. As it hit, the head practically exploded as it flew across the room.

"Well I think we can rule out the sledgehammer," Hodgins said as he watched a clump of the gel drop off the end of Zack's nose.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Of course it was." Hodgins set down the sledgehammer and surveyed the damage to the destroyed head. "What do you think, could a steel chair have done it?"

"I highly doubt that a steel chair to the head would cause the damage. The scratches and dimpling surrounding the wound suggest something else."

"Well maybe he was tossed into some steel fencing like they use in the cage matches."

"That's highly improbable."

"Why? He was a wrestler. Maybe someone got him in a wristlock or something and bashed his head into a steel fence." Hodgins grabbed Zack, twisting one of his arms around to his back. "You know, he's struggling and they just…" He pushed Zack toward the table, but stopped just short of banging Zack's head into the surface. "But that wouldn't cause a head wound like the one he has would it."

"No," Zack said as Hodgins let him go. "And you executed that wrist lock incorrectly. The move is designed to immobilize your opponent into tapping out into submission, like this." Zack grabbed hold of Hodgins' wrist and twisted it around behind the entomologist's back. To gain more leverage and to illustrate his point, Zack twisted a little harder until Hodgins was bent over in front of him.

"I don't even want to know what's going on in here," Cam said when she looked into the room. Zack glanced down, confused and then shot away from Hodgins as fast as possible when he saw their positioning.

"Did you need something Dr. Saroyan," he said as Jack straightened up. She looked from one scientist to the other and shook her head.

"Dr. Hodgins, did you finish sifting through that dirt that came with the body?"

"No, not yet. I just finished running some tests on the pupae found with the remains."

"Let's not keep Booth waiting for the results guys. You're usually more on top of your work than this. I need you to go through that dirt and see if there's anything relevant to the case, and if there isn't, then we can move on." She left the room shaking her head and muttering something about compromising situations under her breath. Jack clapped Zack on the shoulder as he turned toward the door.

"Well, have fun playing with your weapons Zacko. I'm gonna go check out those samples."

XxXxX

"Look, I didn't kill him, okay? Like Bill's just gonna be missing if the FBI is involved." Michael Draven sat at the interrogation table with his arms crossed as he looked at Booth with a bored expression. Booth stood opposite the table as he looked over a file, not saying a word at first.

"Here's what I think happened 'Draven'. I think you thought that Bill was having an affair with your girlfriend and it made you mad. After the retirement match, you confronted him about it and things got a little out of hand, and you killed him. What I don't understand though is why you would want to drag him all the way into a cave in Alabama to hide his body. Weren't there more convenient places you could have left him?"

"I hate to break it to you dude, but you're barking up the wrong tree here. After the pay per view, I left the arena with Destiny and Bill went to use the phone. Said he needed to call his daughter or something. You can talk to Destiny, and she'll tell you I was with her."

"I'll do that. In the meantime, you'd better stay close until this investigation is over." Michael leaned forward and put his hands on the table before him. He looked Booth in the eye when he spoke.

"Think what you want about me, but think about this G-Man. I came in here without a lawyer, so what does that tell you huh? Am I free to go?"

"For now." Michael nodded and got up from the table, sweeping past Booth as he left. The FBI agent scowled when the door shut. He didn't like the cocky young wrestler, but everything about him screamed innocent despite the attitude. Booth tucked the file more securely against his side and left the interrogation room. Something was bothering him about what Michael Draven told him. He said that Bill left to call his daughter, but Trisha said that she didn't hear from him. Either Trisha was lying or something happened in between the end of the match and when he died.

His phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts as he reached his office. He pulled out the phone and flipped it open as he sat down at his desk.

"Booth."

"Booth, we're married." The FBI agent pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it before bringing it back to respond.

"What was that Bones? It sounded like you said we're married."

"I did say that. Apparently there's a law in Alabama that states if a single woman stays in a hotel room with a single man and the room is in his name, the pair is legally wed. I'm having Caroline looking into the validity of the law."

"That's almost as ridiculous as the Nevada law that says that members of the Nevada legislature can't wear a penis suit on days when they're in session." Booth waited for a response imagining that Brennan had to be completely speechless over that little tidbit.

"I don't even want to know how you know that law," was her response. "Booth, what are we going to do if Caroline says the law is legitimate?"

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes up. In the meantime just enjoy your vacation and I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

"Okay. I'll see you then." As they hung up, Booth stared blankly out the glass wall of his office. Married. He was married to Bones. A smile spread across his face as he thought about it. They could get that house and live in it as man and wife. If the law turned up legitimate then at least one positive would come out of the whole mess. He and Bones would truly belong to one another, and despite the trouble it would cause with work, that was a sacrifice he found himself being more and more comfortable accepting.


	6. Chapter 6

Temperance sat next to father as the family watched a Civil War re-enactment at Battle Hill near Bridgeport, Al. While her eyes were trained on the action before her, her mind was elsewhere. The front desk clerk had to be completely mistaken about the marriage law, and besides that, in order to be married, they would have had to register with the state.

"Honey, are you okay? You seem a little preoccupied." Max looked at his daughter as she turned her attention on him.

"I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." Temperance looked over at her nieces as they watched the re-enactment with rapt attention. "I've never quite understood the fascination with watching grown men play with cannons and other guns."

"Well it makes history more interactive. Look how interested the girls are with the re-enactment."

"Dad, the only reason those girls are so interested is because Parker's had a bad influence on them. Did you know that Hayley said she wanted to learn how to squish a can against her forehead because she saw it in a commercial?"

"Oh, give the kids a break. You remember how you wanted to have twenty four inch pythons like Hulk Hogan? I should have known then that my little girl would have an aggressive streak." Brennan smiled at her father and shook her head remembering how she used to wrestle around the backyard with Russ, and always seemed to somehow win the matches against her brother. A cannon blast brought their attention back to the re-enactment before them. "You know, your great great grandfather was a blockade runner during the Civil War." Temperance looked at her father and shook her head.

"Was there anyone in our family that wasn't a criminal at some point?" Max laughed and gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong? It'll make you feel better you know."

"Booth and I are married, although the law behind it seems completely ridiculous and has to be superseded by current legislature. I'm having the legality of the union looked into." Max looked at his daughter for a long moment before he chose to respond.

"You don't want to be married to Booth?"

"I don't want to be married to anyone. It's not something I want in my life."

"Well, it's probably for the best. I mean think about how it would look if you're married to my arresting officer. It would be bad for my reputation."

"Bad for your reputation? Dad, Booth's a good man, and he respects you. I would hope that you'd have the same level of respect for him."

"Hey, I never said I didn't respect the man, I just don't think it's smart for you to be married to the man who put me behind bars. It doesn't look good."

"It doesn't look good? He's a part of my life and will be around regardless of whether you think 'it doesn't look good'. I love him and he's been there for me when no one else has been."

"So tell me again why marriage to the guy is a bad idea?" Max raised an eyebrow as he looked at his daughter. Temperance groaned when she realized what her father was doing.

"It's not that I don't want to be married to Booth specifically, it's that I don't want to be married to anyone. It just seems as though my choice in certain matters keeps being taken from me."

"What do you mean exactly?" Max placed his hand on Temperance's shoulder and turned all of his attention onto her. She shook her head and turned back to the mock battle as her free hand made its way to her abdomen.

"Nothing really. Right now I'm just waiting on word from Caroline regarding the legality of my union with Booth. Once she calls I'll worry about the implications. Until then, there's no use thinking about it."

"Okay, but if you want to talk about it, you let me know."

"I will dad." Brennan smiled at her father, then turned her attention to her nieces as they proclaimed how 'cool' the explosions were.

XxXxX

Booth looked up at the knock on his door to see Destiny Regal standing there. He stood and motioned to the chair opposite his desk.

"Destiny, thank you for coming down here. I just have a few questions for you regarding Bill Lightfoot and Michael Draven." Destiny sat down and crossed her long legs as she faced Booth. Her eyes were red-rimmed as though she'd been crying shortly before arriving.

"I know that Michael didn't do anything to Bill. They might have had some issued with each other, but Michael had too much respect for Bill to actually hurt him."

"What happened the night that Bill Lightfoot had his retirement match?" Booth leaned forward and rested his forearms on his desk as he gave his undivided attention to Destiny.

"I talked to Bill earlier that night and he told me he'd signed a contract with TNA wrestling. I was a little surprised because he'd always been so loyal to the EWF."

"I thought he was retiring from wrestling. Why would he sign a new contract?"

"You have to understand something Agent Booth. The old timers, they have a love for the business that's hard to find nowadays. Bill could hardly move, but nothing would make him willingly quit the business. He'd have to die first, and I guess he did."

"Do you know why he was switching companies?"

"His daughter Trisha just got a contract with TNA. Trisha's not exactly what you'd normally find for a female wrestler. She's not, well I guess attractive would be a good word. Even though she's probably more skilled than most of the guys, she doesn't have 'the look'. Bill signed the contract to make sure that Trisha would get her due. He didn't want her to end up as a jobber because she hasn't appeared in Playboy."

"Do you know if Mr. Kennedy knew that he signed the contract?"

"No, but if Hanson found out, I don't think he'd be too happy about it."

"Thank you Destiny. If I have any other questions for you I'll give you a call."

"Of course. I hope you figure out who did this to Bill. He didn't deserve to be killed like that." Destiny stood and left the office while Booth let out a breath of air. If Hanson Kennedy knew about the contract, then the man was hiding quite a bit. Looks like I have to pay the promoter another visit, he thought as he stood up. He stopped short as Cullen poked his head in the door.

"Booth, in my office, now." The Deputy Director left abruptly, and Booth could only imagine that it had something to do with Brennan's earlier revelation to him about their current marital status.

XxXxX

"Did you find anything in that mud Hodgins?" Cam scanned onto the platform and looked at the large pot of goop that the entomologist was sifting through. He looked over at his boss as he ran a strainer through the mud before wiping off his hands and moving to a side table.

"I haven't found much, just a set of keys, a couple of credit cards and a driver's license."

"So basically you've found our victim's wallet." She looked over the found items, still somewhat dirty and picked up one of the credit cards.

"Well, unless he made a habit of carrying around his daughter's credit card, then I'd have to say no."

"I'll let Booth know what you've found. Do you know if Zack's had the chance to go through all of the possible weapons?"

"I think he has. He went to Angela's office with his findings. They're going over scenarios in her office."

"Great." The pathologist left the platform and headed over to the holographics office to see what the pair came up with. A scenario played over and over on the Angelator, only the weapon changed each time it replayed.

"What have the two of you come up with?" Angela looked up at her boss and sighed.

"Not a lot. The closest damage pattern we've found is from the kendo stick, only it doesn't account for the dimpling and scratches on the bone."

"Well, keep it up. I'm sure you'll figure out what we're missing." Cam left the office to head to her own. She needed to get the information to Booth and hoped he had something that would tie everything in together.

XxXxX

"Agent Booth, I just want you to know that I do not appreciate being lied to." Booth winced at the tone in his boss's voice. He had a feeling he knew exactly why he'd been called into Cullen's office and wasn't sure exactly how he'd be able to explain himself.

"Sir, I haven't lied to you."

"Oh really? As I recall, you assured me that you and Dr. Brennan were not married. Just to make sure that you weren't trying to pull the wool over my eyes, I did a records search, and you want to know what I found? I found a marriage license with both of your names on it filed with the Jackson County clerk's office."

"Sir, I didn't lie to you regarding marriage. Bones and I were unaware that we were married. It was due to a rather unusual law. Trust me, when we told you we weren't married, we weren't aware that we were."

"I assume you've been in a personal relationship then?"

"Yes sir we have. We've been together for the last six months."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"You told us that if our relationship were anything other than professional then we'd be split up as partners. Neither of us wanted that so we chose not to mention it." Cullen looked at Booth, a vein pounding in the side of his forehead. He took a deep breath before talking to the agent again.

"I'm not sure what I'm planning to do now, but as soon as your current case is finished, you will have consequences for keeping this from me, do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now get out of my office."


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: You know, I've noticed something when it comes to my stories. The angsty ones get more reviews. Hmmmm, this is worth noting I think. As I've told SSJL on many occasions, people like angst, so since you all seem to like angst better than what I've done in this story already, I feel like my hand is forced. Not to worry though, this isn't an angsty turn of events I've decided to do because of reader response. No, it's been planned since I was writing 'Girl in the Ocean'. We're heading into the end of this story, the case is almost done, but there'll be a couple of chapters after that to finish some things off. Just felt the need to give fair warning._

Booth stormed through the Eastern Wrestling Federation's headquarters on his way to Hanson Kennedy's office. He was on the warpath that had less to do with the case and more to do with being pissed off at his boss. Bones wasn't even an FBI agent, so how on earth was it the review board could split them up as partners?

A voice of cool reason filled his head as he remembered a conversation held with his boss a few years earlier.

"_So, you guaranteed a squint a field role in an active investigation."_

"_Yes sir."_

"_The one that wrote the book?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"_Thought you said she wouldn't work with you anymore."_

"_The last case we worked, she provided a description of the murder weapon and the murderer but I didn't give it much credence."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because she did it by looking at the autopsy X-rays."_

"_I wouldn't give it much credence either."_

"_Turns out she was right on both. Plus the pond victim, Brennan gives me the victim's age, sex and favorite sport."_

"_Which is?"_

"_Tennis."_

"_She's good."_

"_No, she's amazing. If the only way to get her back on my side is to bring her out in the field, I'm willing."_

"_Fine. She's on you. Take a squint out in the field, she's your responsibility."_

"_Yes sir."_ That was the bargaining chip in his favor. Cullen gave him permission to bring Brennan to the field so long as he kept her in line, not that he had to. Okay, so maybe early on he'd needed to control her more aggressive urges, but in the years since then they'd come to know how to work together, and the FBI certainly couldn't deny the fact that they had an incredible solve rate. He'd be sure to bring all of this up when he got back to the Hoover building.

Booth stopped when he reached the receptionist's desk. The young woman looked up at him and smiled as she turned down the volume on her radio.

"How can I help you?" Booth pulled out his badge and showed it to the receptionist.

"I need to speak with Hanson Kennedy."

"Mr. Kennedy is in a meeting at the moment, but if you'd like to take a seat…"

"No, I need to speak with him now." Booth looked at the receptionist, his expression stony. She nodded and picked up the phone. As they waited for the line to be answered, the quiet sound of the radio filled up the space in the lobby.

"In entertainment news, travel journalist Stephen Drace is filing a lawsuit against best-selling author Temperance Brennan for defamation of character. The best selling author last week issued a statement that Mr. Drace had his facts incorrect regarding her marriage to FBI agent Seeley Booth. Today a marriage certificate turned up proving the nuptials did in fact occur leading to the current lawsuit. Dr. Brennan has yet to be reached for comment." The receptionist looked up at Booth with an arched brow before she turned her attention back to the phone.

"Mr. Kennedy, I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I have an FBI agent here to see you. Yes sir, I'll send him right in." The young woman hung up the phone and motioned toward the large double doors leading to Hanson's office. Booth nodded to the girl and swept past her and into the office.

"Agent Booth, what can I do for you?" Hanson looked up from his desk as he sent out one of his wrestlers. Booth moved across the room and put his hands down on the surface of the desk as he leaned in over the wrestling promoter.

"Any particular reason you didn't tell me that Bill Lightfoot signed a contract with TNA wrestling?"

"He did what?" Hanson looked outraged. "That bastard! I let him out of his contract and he signed one with TNA?"

"So you didn't know?"

"No. I knew his daughter signed one because I turned her away, but this is a betrayal." Booth looked at Hanson and squinted his eyes a little. He believed what Mr. Kennedy said regarding the contract information, but there was something unusual about his comment on Trisha Brody.

"Why didn't you sign Trisha?"

"Normally if someone is a wrestling legacy, we welcome them, but Trisha's a bit of a loose cannon. I understand that she wants to earn a name for herself away from her father, but she has a temper on her. I try to keep my locker room free of issues and she just seems to cause them."

"So she didn't want to be connected to her father?"

"No. I think it really hurt Bill's feelings, but he never talked about it."

"Huh. Well, thank you for your time Mr. Kennedy. If I need anything else…"

"Feel free to call my private line." Hanson handed a business card to Booth and motioned to the door. Booth left the building and pulled out his cell phone. He needed everything that Cam had on the case, and he needed it now.

XxXxX

"Caroline, thanks for getting back to me. The whole situation is getting out of control. Do you have any information yet about the legality of the marriage?" Temperance looked out the passenger window of the minivan her father rented as the whole family headed up to Memphis. Russ looked at her from the back seat, curious about what was going on.

"What marriage? Dad, do you know what she's talking about?" Max looked in the rearview mirror at his son.

"Your sister and Agent Booth are married."

"When did this happen?" Brennan made a shushing motion as she concentrated on the phone.

"Cherie, your nuptials are legally binding. All that is required for them to be official is to file the license with a county clerk within three days of the ceremony, and since the law about staying together in a hotel room is still on the books, it holds. You are by law Mrs. Seeley Booth."

"That's ridiculous! I wouldn't change my name, and besides, I think an annulment is better for everyone involved."

"That's not my call Dr. Brennan. You need to talk things over with your husband. I will however get you in touch with a lawyer specializing in marriage law, and someone who can handle that little lawsuit against you."

"No, I have a lawyer for that. I have to go Caroline. Thank you for your help." Brennan hung up the phone and dropped her head back onto the headrest of her seat.

"Why didn't you tell us you and Booth were married?" Russ sounded outraged. Temperance sighed and turned to look at her brother.

"Because I didn't know."

"How can you not know you're married? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I can't believe you wouldn't just tell us."

"Russ, I'm not kidding at all. I didn't know. We're married because of an absolutely ridiculous, archaic law, and even though Caroline Julian says that it's legally binding, there has to be something that can be done to reverse it."

"Reverse it? Why would you want to have your marriage annulled?" Amy looked at her sister in law, obviously thinking she was crazy to not want to be married.

"I don't want to be married; I never wanted to be married. I need to end this now." There was almost a panicked edge to her voice. Russ looked at his sister with a small level of concern.

"Well you are married, so why fight it?"

"It wasn't my choice, don't you understand that? Someone else made that decision for us and it's not a fair decision. I didn't choose this life choice, and I can't choose whether or not to have children. I need to get some measure of control back." Her family watched her increasing panic, not exactly sure what to do. Max reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed soothing circles there. He'd seen her manage to handle her emotions regardless of what came up, but it seemed she wasn't managing at all. Instead she'd just suppressed everything and now it looked like all of those emotions were about to explode.

XxXxX

"Cam, what have you got for me," Booth asked as he scanned up onto the platform. The pathologist turned to look at the FBI agent and set down the test results she'd been examining. She peeled off her latex gloves and motioned over to the holographics office.

"Zack and Angela have been working on some scenarios that I think you can see, and Hodgins has found some credit cards and a driver's license in the mud found inside the cave around the body." The pair made their way to the holographics office. Cam glanced once at Booth before they reached the door. "So what's with this marriage thing?"

"Not now Cam, okay? I haven't had the chance to talk to Bones about it."

"What's there to talk about? I would think that you'd already talked through everything if you're married, and exactly how long have you been together because I wasn't aware you two were dating." Booth looked at the pathologist and shook his head. He wasn't going to talk about the unknown wedding until he had the chance to speak to Temperance.

"So Hodgins basically found Bill's wallet?"

"His and Trisha's apparently. One of the credit cards belonged to her." Booth stopped and looked at her just to make sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Did you say that Trisha's credit card was found in the cave?"

"Yes." Booth dropped his chin to his chest and took in a breath. When he lifted his head his face was a study in determination.

"Let me see what they have." They entered the holographics room as Angela reset the Angelator. The attack on Bill played up on screen with the weapons once again rotating.

"After Zack tested out various weapons, I removed any injuries received from his last few matches so I knew what we had to work with." She hit a few buttons on her keypad and the kendo stick appeared in the faceless attacker's hand. Booth watched the scenario play over and his jaw clenched. "That's the closest approximation we can get to a weapon and still doesn't account for the dimpling and scratches on the bone."

"What about a two by four covered in barbed wire," Booth asked. Angela thought about it for a moment before she entered the new data. Everyone rewatched the scenario and Zack nodded his head.

"Agent Booth, I think you're correct in your assumption. The small barbs would make contact with the bone creating the anomalies found there." Booth gave a small nod and left the room quickly. Cam chased after him as he moved across the lab.

"Does that mean something to you? Do you know who killed him?" The FBI agent turned around as he reached the doors to the lab.

"Yes it means something. It means his own daughter killed him."


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Yes I'm hustling through this story because I can't wait to start the next one. There's probably only one more chapter after this one, and I know you're dying to find out what's going to happen. Well, you'll find out, so I won't keep you from this for any longer._

"Baby, you need to talk to me, okay? I need you to tell me what's going on so I can help you out." Max rubbed soothing circles on his daughter's back as she took gasping breaths, trying to calm down from her outburst in the car. They sat on a bench outside of a Tennessee Welcome Center as Russ and Amy kept the girls occupied with games on a grassy area nearby.

"Caroline said that someone found a marriage license submitted to the county clerk's office with Booth and my name on it, but we didn't submit any paperwork. We filled out what was required at the bed and breakfast for the room, but that's all. It doesn't make any sense." Max frowned. The only thing he'd been required to sign for his room was the room registry.

"What exactly was this paperwork that you filled out?"

"I'm assuming it was records related to our stay." Temperance sniffled a little and wiped away a stray tear. She didn't like to lose control, and now it seemed that control was evading her completely.

"The front desk clerk, she asked the pair of you if you were married, didn't she?"

"Yes, but she said she was just making conversation. You don't think that she had us fill out paperwork for a marriage license do you?" Brennan stood and began to pace, clenching her hands into fists as she did so. "That had to be what happened. She must have had us fill out the paperwork all because of that archaic law. How can a marriage be legal when we didn't even know that we were married?"

"Honey, I think the best thing to do right now is for us to get to Memphis and work this out with Booth."

"I don't want to involve him until his case is over. He has enough to worry about right now."

"Temperance, he's your husband, even if the legality is in question, he's your husband. This is not something that you take care of without his involvement. He's in this whole thing as much as you are."

"Ugh, this is exactly why I'm against marriage. I don't want to have to answer to anyone for a decision I make." Max looked at his daughter and shook his head. At least the emotional breakdown was over.

"Sweetheart, I think you have the wrong idea about marriage."

"What's wrong with what I think? Why do we need to get married in the first place? Why would I need a piece of paper to prove a commitment to someone?"

"That's not what marriage is about."

"No, it has its roots in ownership and possession." Max started laughing.

"Oh honey, do you honestly think that your mother would ever have belonged to anyone, least of all me? We were partners in everything. That's what marriage is; it's a partnership in life. You and Booth were already halfway there. There's nothing bad about sharing yourself with someone that way."

"Well obviously it doesn't matter whether I want to be married or not," Brennan huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm going to fight this."

XxXxX

Booth stood outside of Trisha Brody's house, a grim expression on his face. He had a local police officer with him to make the arrest of the young woman. With a determined stride, he approached the front door and knocked. It took a moment for the door to open, but when she opened the door, Trisha smiled at the FBI agent.

"Agent Booth, is there something else I can do for you?"

"Trisha Brody, I'm putting you under arrest for the murder of Bill Lightfoot Brody." Booth placed his hand onto her shoulder to turn her and cuff her.

"No!" She grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. His head slammed down on the tile a moment before the rest of his body made it. As stars filled his vision, he heard a shot ring out and someone hit the floor.

Sitting up, he shook his head and blinked his eyes to clear the dizziness. As his vision cleared he found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Trisha, put the gun away."

"No. You don't understand, I'm not going to go to jail. I'm not going for something that's his fault."

"Who's fault?" Booth kept still while the barrel of the gun remained trained on him. His mind went into overdrive as scenarios for escape from the situation. Trisha was close to hyperventilating, and her face was bright red with rage.

"If my father had kept his nose out of my business, he'd still be here. He didn't know what I wanted. I didn't want his help. I didn't need his help. I can make my way in the business on my own, but he didn't seem to think so. He thought they'd play me, wouldn't give me my due. I had to prove that I can take care of myself."

"So you beat him down with a barbed wire cover two by four?"

"You just don't understand!" She waved the gun wildly in the air. Booth took the opportunity to pull his own gun and trained it on the distraught woman.

"Put the gun down Trisha." His steely gaze locked with hers as she raised her own gun to her head. "Come on, it's not worth it. Just put it…" He didn't get to complete the sentence as she pulled the trigger and collapsed dead on the floor.

XxXxX

"Ms. Julian said that you were concerned about the validity of your nuptials," Sarah Jackson, a divorce lawyer said to Temperance over the phone. Brennan sat on the balcony of her hotel room as she spoke to the attorney. Inside the television was on, though she wasn't paying attention to the gossip show that was playing.

"Yes, the circumstances behind the marriage are a bit suspect, and I wanted to determine for certain whether it was legal."

"Well, I looked up Alabama state law, and as Ms. Julian said since it's still on the books, it is legal so long as a marriage license is turned in within three days."

"That makes no sense though. We didn't know that we were filling out a marriage license. Shouldn't that challenge the validity?"

"Technically Dr. Brennan, you should know the laws of any state or country before you visit."

"So the marriage is completely valid?"

"Yes."

"Well what do we need to do to get an annulment?"

"I can draft the paperwork for you and have it ready when you get back to Washington."

"Thank you so much Ms. Jackson."

"Of course Dr. Brennan. Just give me a call if you have anymore questions." As the call ended, Brennan stepped into her room and flopped down on the bed. She closed her eyes and blew out a breath as she felt a measure of control returning to her situation. She turned to her side and faced the television, listening to the entertainment report playing on the gossip show.

"You might recall last week that we mentioned the death of legendary wrestler Bill Lightfoot Brody," the host said and Brennan opened her eyes to watch the report. "Well we've just received some more information regarding his death. The murderer was identified as Trisha Brody, Bill Lightfoot's daughter. When arresting officer Seeley Booth showed up, Trisha put up a fight, injured a second officer and took her own life."

"Oh my god, Booth," she murmured and sat up. She grabbed her phone and began to dial his number but stopped as the next bit of news came on.

"Seeley Booth you might remember is the husband of best selling author Temperance Brennan. Questions were raised about their marital state when Dr. Brennan issued a statement claiming a mistake had been made and a few days later a marriage license filed with the Jackson County, Alabama clerk's office was discovered." Brennan grabbed the remote and turned off the television. The whole situation was getting way out of control and it seemed that nothing could stop it. One thing was for sure though, if Booth witnessed a suspect kill themselves, then she needed to be there for him. She hopped off of the bed and pulled her suitcase out of the closet. As much as she wanted to finish off her vacation, it was much more important to be elsewhere.

XxXxX

It was after midnight before Booth was able to get home. He was tired and had a headache from banging his head on the tile entryway of Trisha Brody's home. He'd been examined by the EMTs and let go once it was determined that he was okay. Now, the only thing he wanted was to get some sleep.

As he pulled the door to his apartment open he knew immediately that something was off. It wasn't so much that the place was unlocked or anything was out of place, but something wasn't right. He found out what that something was when he rounded out of the foyer and found Brennan asleep on the couch.

He stepped up to the couch and dropped down, brushing an errant strand of hair from her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him.

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he murmured before dropping a kiss onto her lips. Brennan sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

"I heard what happened today. I'm sorry you had to witness that." Temperance kissed his cheek and pulled back far enough to look at his face. "Are you okay?"

"I am now baby. Thank you for coming back."

"There's no way I would stay away. I love you so much Booth."

"Then Temperance, will you stay married to me?"


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Well here it is, the final chapter to Wrestler in the Cave. I hope you enjoy and look forward to seeing you in the next story._

"What?" Brennan looked at Booth, not sure how to respond to what he asked. He wanted to stay married? Didn't he understand what kind of change that would entail to their relationship? Besides, it would mean that they wouldn't work together as partners anymore, and that was a big part of why she loved her job. Work on remains was so much more interesting when she could go out to the field and help solve the crime.

"I've been thinking about it, and I think we can do it, stay married that is. Look, I was planning to ask you to move in with me anyway and finally just announce that we're together. Cullen and the review board shouldn't be able to break up our partnership because they made me responsible for you when I took you out initially, plus you don't fall under the purview of the FBI anyway. Since we're already married, mistake or not, why don't we just stay that way?" He looked at her, his expression hopeful as he held onto her. Brennan opened and closed her mouth trying to find the right response to his request. After a minute, she sighed and looked away from him.

"I'm having annulment papers drafted." She felt him pull away from her and shut her eyes, knowing that if she looked at him, he'd be hurt. That was not something she intended for them.

"I get it," he said as he stood up and stepped away from her. "I've had to fight for this relationship since we started it. You didn't want to date me to begin with, so why would this be any different."

"Booth, you don't get it. I just don't want to be married. You know it's something I've never wanted."

"Well tough shit Bones, you already are. I was hoping that we could just adjust to the situation and take it in stride. It's already out there in the press anyway, so why not just let it stick."

"No."

"What the hell is so bad about being married to me? Is it because I have a son and you don't want kids, or is it something else I'm not aware of?"

"It's not you, okay? I don't like things being taken out of my control. I already can't choose whether or not to have children, and to have my right to choose whether or not to marry also taken away… I just don't want that."

"Well maybe it's fate, did you think about that? Maybe we're supposed to end up married."

"Then that should have been a decision for us to make, not a front desk clerk at a bed and breakfast. I don't want this Booth. I want the annulment and for things to get back to how they were."

"An annulment? You just don't get it Bones. To get an annulment you can't have consummated the marriage, and as I recall, we've had sex a few times since then. This whole relationship is already becoming a laughing stock because of the whole 'are they or aren't they' factor. A divorce is just going to make it worse."

"That's no reason not to end it." Booth turned away from her and ran a hand through his hair.

"You know what? I'm going to my room, and I'm going to bed. I'll see you around the Jeffersonian whenever I bring a case to Zack."

"You're breaking up with me?" Brennan stood and strode over to Booth, anger seeping from her body.

"Breaking up with you? That's a little hard to do without paperwork now isn't it? Oh, that's right; you were taking care of that yourself. Good night Dr. Brennan." Booth turned from her and stormed down the hall to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Booth, you're being ridiculous." She followed down the hallway and turned the doorknob only to find it wasn't moving. "You locked me out? You rat bastard."

"Get out of my apartment, I can't deal with you right now," came the muffled reply through the door. Brennan gaped at the door for a long moment before she could speak again.

"Stop behaving like a little kid Booth. We have to talk about this." She heard heavy footfall before the door was jerked open and a stony faced Booth looked at her.

"Talk? I think we've done enough talking. I've dreamt that we'd get married one day, that I'd be able to convince you that it's not a bad thing. I was hoping since this marriage was legal that you'd just go with it, but I guess I should have known better. If things don't go the way you want them to, they just don't happen."

"I…"

"Unless the next words out of your mouth are, 'you're right Booth we should stay married' then I don't want to hear it." The two looked at each other for a long moment before Brennan shook her head and turned to leave. As she headed down the hallway to the living room, Booth had only one more thing to say to her. "I really thought we could make this work Bones. I hoped you cared enough to try."

XxXxX

"Sweetie, do you want to tell me why exactly you're back to work a week earlier than planned?" Angela leaned in the doorway to Brennan's office, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "Does this have something to do with the messed up marriage thing?"

"Don't even bring up the word marriage to me right now Ange." Temperance sat at her desk as she sorted through e-mails. Several of her grad students sent requests for assistance on projects and she had to get them answered.

"Uh-oh, that can't be good," the artist said as she sauntered into the office. "What's going on Bren?"

"Booth and I are getting a divorce." The artist's eyebrows shot up in the air.

"Is this mutual, or something that you want and he doesn't, because I've got to tell you sweetie, I really thought that this would work."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I didn't want to be married in the first place, so now I'm suddenly the bad guy because I still don't want that relationship with him."

"Whoa, no one said anything about you being the bad guy."

"He kicked me out of his apartment last night after I left my family to make sure he was okay. Everything would be just fine if he hadn't decided that being married to me was the be all end all to our relationship." Temperance turned from her computer and faced her friend. The artist was surprised to see the tears threatening to fall. Angela came over and hugged the anthropologist before leading her over to the couch.

"You know Booth well enough to know that even if he didn't ask you, he had to be thinking about it. The man's a traditionalist. You know he wants to be married. Just give him some time to cool down and I'm sure you can work through everything."

"I tried to work through this last night, but he got angry and kicked me out. He left me Angela. I never thought he'd do that."

"Then maybe you should fight for him. I know you want to keep your single status and all, but is the idea of marriage to Booth really that bad? The man loves you, he looks after you, and he's always been there to support you. Hell, he was your husband before he was your husband." Brennan looked up, miserable as she sniffed and wiped at a stray tear.

"He doesn't want to talk to me."

"Just give him a little space so you both have time to think about this. He loves you, even if he is a little bit angry right now, and you know that. You hurt his feelings and he needs time to lick his wounds, okay?" Brennan nodded and the pair hugged one more time.

"Thank you Angela."

"You're welcome sweetie. Now what do you say we go grab something to eat and we'll come up with a game plan to solve all of this?"

"I think that sounds like great advice."

"Well, like I've said, I give good advice. Now come on, no one wants to see a moping anthropologist."

XxXxX

Cullen looked up as Booth walked into his office. The FBI agent held a file in his hand and wore a grim expression. The Deputy Director motioned to the chair opposite him and waited for Booth to sit before talking.

"What brings you in here today Booth?"

"Here's the signed paperwork on the case, and a request for a leave of absence." Cullen arched an eyebrow as he put on his glasses to examine the paperwork.

"You're asking to take a leave of absence? Does this have anything to do with your relationship with Dr. Brennan?"

"My ex is moving out of the area, and I want to take some time to spend with my son. I'd like the full amount of six months if that's possible sir." Cullen set down the paperwork and looked at his agent. Booth had circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept the night before, and his expression gave nothing about what was going on in his mind away.

"Taking a leave to distance yourself from your relationship isn't going to save your partnership, you know that don't you? The review board set down the rules and I have to follow them."

"I understand sir, and that's not why I'm requesting the leave. I want to spend time with my son. You know how important that time is as a parent." Cullen pulled off his glasses and sat back in his chair. Whatever was really bothering the agent was obviously not going to be said.

"Fine, you're on a six month leave starting today, and Booth, whatever it is that's bothering you, you should talk to someone about it."

"Yes sir," Booth said as he stood up. He left the office and headed to the building's elevator. He had some packing to do if he was going to be in New Jersey for the next six months. Six months. That was enough time for the damn divorce to go through, and then he could look into moving on with his life without the one person besides his son that made things a little bit better.

_AN: Oh, I know, I'm a mean, horrible person. Guess what though. There are still two more stories in which all of this mess will get resolved. I can't promise that there won't be anymore angst, but everything will get resolved. I promise. Look for the next installment of this series, Mordecai, to begin soon. Until then, I bid you a good day and happy reading._


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